P2P: Peer-to-Peer file sharing applications such as Bit Torrent, KaZaa, and the long forgotten Napster provide a means for Internet users to seek out and download movies, music, and software. I agree that it is important to have this type of technology available on the Internet (free speech), but let’s face it, most people are abusing it to download movies, music, and pirated software.
There is controversy about whether or not ISPs should throttle P2P Internet traffic. The issue is that there are a small percentage of Internet users who are constantly using P2P (sometimes 24/7) to download large files like movies. These large downloads hog network bandwidth and can cause significant deterioration in the connection speed of average customers who only check their email and the news. Some ISPs have stepped in to limit P2P file sharing bandwidth so that average users are not negatively impacted by these huge downloads. Of course, those who enjoy downloading gigabytes upon gigabytes of movies, music, and pirated software will have an objection to ISPs limiting their bandwidth. But those people who use the Internet mainly for activities such as web browsing and email will be happy to notice how much faster the Internet is.
Internet bandwidth is not infinite. There’s a limit to how many copies of James Bond can traverse a fiber optic cable simultaneously. The ISPs, realizing the advent of bandwidth intensive applications, are investing millions of dollars to upgrade the capabilities of their network infrastructure. As more people start using P2P, Voice over IP, steaming video, etc. the demands on the network increase and network congestion occurs, so they have to come up with creative ways to solve their bandwidth utilization issues.
We need to consider the ordinary users who will suffer slow speeds if this type of downloading is permitted to clog the network. Perhaps those users who download 24/7 need to consider the impact their downloading has on their neighbours. Ultimately, I think it’s important that we consider all those who access the network and ensure that bandwidth is shared fairly. The best solution is for everyone to consider the effects their Internet use has on other people and cut back on their bandwidth usage.
So, in the meantime, let the ISPs do what is best for the majority of their customers even if it means upsetting a few users who will have to wait 10 hours instead of 3 to download the latest movie release.
I’d like to add that there is a bigger issue we are facing. ISPs are starting to block certain types of traffic (such as P2P discussed above) and newsgroups that disseminate child pornography. Now this seems like a good idea on the surface. But what happens when the ISPs start to prioritize traffic based on their corporate goals? They could give priority to traffic destined for any sites which suit their interests and degrade or completely block traffic destined for sites which compete with them or their partners. So, it’s a complicated issue with no black or white solution. What do you think?
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Tags: bandwidth throttling, file sharing, ISP, p2p
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